Garbage and Recycling Collection Service Interruptions

For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 24, 2011

Answers to FAQs
about weather impacts on recycling and garbage collection schedules

Due to the recent snow
storm, garbage and recycling collection schedules may be interrupted for WashingtonCounty
residents.If your garbage
and recycling collection service has been interrupted, the information below
will help provide answers related to service
in unincorporated WashingtonCounty. If your property resides inside a city
boundary, contact your city office or hauler for instructions.

How do I know when my
garbage/recycling will be picked up?

Generally, if schools are
closed, solid waste (garbage) and recycling (including yard debris) collection
service is likely to be interrupted.

If your collection
day was interrupted due to the storm, your collection will be made up the
following day.

If adverse weather
conditions persist (schools remain closed) for more than one day, customers
whose collection service was missed will receive garbage
service the
following week on their regularly scheduled collection day. This means recycling/yard debris service will also be collected on your
next regularly scheduled collection day.Reminder:Recycling/Yard debris is collected
every-other-week.

My
garbage and recycling volumes have doubled since my regular pick-up was
missed.What should I do with the
extras?

Extra
Garbage

You can place your extras
(garbage and recycling) at the curb for the next scheduled pick-up and there
will be no additional charge for the extra material. If there is not enough
room in your containers, place your garbage in a plastic bag next to your garbage
can.

Extra
Recycling

If
you have more recyclable materials than your cart will hold, we recommend
storing it and gradually adding it over the following weeks, until it is gone. This keeps the material dry and maintains its
value as a recycling commodity.

If
you can't store it, please prepare your recycling as you would for regular
collection.Recyclable material that
does not fit in containers (the container is full) can be set beside the
container as long as it is properly prepared and set out on the scheduled pick
up day.

Will
I be charged for these extra bags I place at the curb?

No. Your bill will not
reflect any extra charges.

Will
I receive a credit for the day(s) my collection service was missed?

No, because your garbage and recycling will still be collected, no
credit will be issued by your hauler. We
recognize that it's inconvenient to have your collection delayed, waiting for
the weather to clear to make it safe for the collection trucks to get back on
the road.However, the haulers typically
incur extra costs to pick up garbage in the aftermath of a storm.Rather than giving a credit for missed days,
then charging customers for the "extras" that are set out, the County's policy
is to have the haulers pick up all the garbage and recycling that was missed at
no additional charge to the customer.

Should
I worry about storing my garbage for more than the typical week?

Storing
garbage during a cold weather/snow event does not typically create a nuisance
because materials are under cold storage (whether stored in the garage or
outside).